''Origanum onites'', the Cretan oregano, Greek oregano, pot marjoram or Ellinikí rίgani in Greek (Ελληνική ρίγανη), is a plant species in the genus ''

Origanum ''Origanum'' ( ) is a genus of herbaceous perennials and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae, native to Europe, North Africa, and much of temperate Asia, where they are found in open or mountainous habitats. A few species also naturalized in s ...

'' found in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. It has similar flavors as oregano. Its essential oil can be distinguished from other species such as Greek oregano ('' Origanum vulgare ssp. hirtum''). It has antimicrobial activities.

Chemistry

The plant contains the chemical compounds

thymol Thymol (also known as 2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol, IPMP), , is a natural monoterpenoid phenol derivative of ''p''-Cymene, isomeric with carvacrol, found in oil of thyme, and extracted from ''Thymus vulgaris'' (common thyme), ajwain, and vari ...

, carvacrol and

cedrol Cedrol is a sesquiterpene alcohol found in the essential oil of conifers (cedar oil), especially in the genera '' Cupressus'' (cypress) and ''Juniperus'' (juniper). It has also been identified in '' Origanum onites'', a plant related to oregano ...

References

External links

* onites Plants described in 1753 Flora of Turkey Flora of Sicily Flora of Greece Medicinal plants Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Lamiaceae-stub